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“Play for the team”: Hamann asks Liverpool star to put the team’s interest ahead of his own

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By Aheed Abrar

Didi Hamann urges Darwin Nunez to put Liverpool first

Former Liverpool midfielder Didi Hamann has been impressed by Darwin Nunez so far. But the German international believes the Uruguayan has to become a team player to succeed at Liverpool.

Nunez arrived from Benfica this summer after cultivating the pedigree of being a prolific goalscorer for the Eagles. The 23-year-old scored 34 goals in all competitions for the Portuguese side.

Hamann, who spent seven years on Merseyside with the Reds, is looking forward to seeing Nunez play in Liverpool’s new-look attack. Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, the German feels our previous attacking trio complemented each other well.

Didi Hamann urges Darwin Nunez to put Liverpool first.
The trio of Salah, Firmino and Mane were excellent for Liverpool.

“They have got some brilliant players but it will be interesting to see how it works out with Nunez because the reason they were so successful was because they had three of the best forwards in Salah, Mane and Firmino. They complemented each other which is not always the case.”

Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino formed one of the deadliest attacking partnerships for the Reds. The three had different playing styles and helped each other on the pitch.

Mane and Frimino, over the years, evolved in their roles but always had the task of helping out the team in defence, with Salah being given a free role up front. And all of them did what they were supposed to do.

Now with Nunez entering the mix, Hamann wonders how the dynamic might change. The former Liverpool star believes playing for the team is more important than individual records and accolades.

Didi Hamann urges Darwin Nunez to put Liverpool first.
Hamann is excited to see how Darwin Nunez fits into the squad. (Photo by PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images)

“Obviously they want to score goals and they want the headlines but they put their own interests to the back to play for the team, which is not always the case. In Nunez now we’ve got to wait to see how the dynamics of the team changes, but so far I have to say, it looks pretty good.”

The Uruguayan striker is still in the infancy of his career on Merseyside. With an initial bump in the road in the first two pre-season friendlies, the 23-year-old showed the world what he’s all about but scoring four goals against RB Leipzig.

And it was good to see Salah handing Nunez a penalty to open his account for the Reds. Having good relationships with teammates can be a major help on the pitch.

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For the team to gel and build connections, the pre-season is helpful. The new signings must try to adapt to a new style of play with other experienced members of the squad, hopefully helping them out.